An increasing number of small personal items need a temporary or permanent storage location near a user on a bed, couch, or chair. Users often desire personal items such as MP3 players, keys, smart phones, PDAs, beverages, books, watches, reading glasses, and jewelry to be close at hand. Yet, conventional furniture like end tables or nightstands may be expensive, or may take up too much room or be unavailable, such as in a college dorm, efficiency apartment, or hotel room.
Various solutions to bedside storage of personal items have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,954,188 (“Furniture Attachment System and Methods of Use”) teaches a planar support tucked under a mattress and supporting a vertical member alongside the box springs for strapping a gun, flashlight, or lamp next to the bed. Unfortunately, the items may be hard to reach for a user on the mattress. Further, the proposed straps or compartments may damage delicate items such as glasses, and may not accommodate beverage containers or cups.
In another example, U.S. Pat. Application No. US 2004/0261175 (“Sundries Caddy for Furniture”) teaches a horizontal planar member captured by a cushion and supporting a vertical member having a receptacle with an open upper end. However, the caddy is a permanent structure and may get in the way, such as when making the bed.
In further example, U.S. Pat. Application No. US 2013/0291304 (“Portable Bedside Container”) teaches a horizontal platform inserted between a mattress and box spring and supporting upward-pointing storage bins or pouches along the side of and substantially flush with the top of the mattress. Again, the storage compartments may be rigid and may get in the way of the user, or interfere with making the bed. Further, no particular solution is proposed for accommodating beverage containers, nor is there a convenient place for keys or jewelry.